Pursuant to § 7 sections 1 and 3 of Resolution No. 61/X/2022 of the Senate of the Jagiellonian University of 26 September 2022 on: the rules of recruitment for the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences at the Jagiellonian University in the academic year 2023/2024, the Director of the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences announces a competition for 1 doctoral student with a scholarship financed from the research project funds as part of the PhD in Biology education programme.

Within the Sonata Bis - NCN project entitled “The link between circadian clock, light pollution and Parkinson's disease development - research on Drosophila melanogaster model”, the project manager, dr hab. Milena Damulewicz offers an opportunity to complete the doctorates in the following area (title):

The link between circadian clock, light pollution and Parkinson's disease development - research on Drosophila melanogaster model

After the interviews and the evaluation of the candidates, the Chairman of the committee presents a report to the Director containing a list of candidates recommended for admission to the school as part of the research project.

Project description:

Parkinson disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorder, caused by both genetical and environmental factors. Among the most common manifestation of PD are sleep problems, which affect quality of life and daytime functioning. Several lines of evidence suggest that one cause of sleep problems in patients with PD is circadian disfunction. Circadian disfunction is proven to accelerate the neurodegenerative process and light treatment has been shown to improve sleep in PD patients, probably by restoration of circadian function. However, the cellular mechanisms linking the circadian clock to neurodegeneration is still poorly understood. Biological clock is self-sustained but entrainable by environmental conditions, like light or temperature. The most important protein involved in clock synchronization by light is cryptochrome (CRY), which is blue light photoreceptor. After light exposure it changes conformation and forms complexes with other proteins, and targets them to degradation. Our preliminary data showed that CRY may bind also some of mitochondrial proteins in light-dependent manner. One of the main civilization threats of the modern world is artificial light and light pollutions. Additional exposure to light during the night causes clock disruption. Moreover, computers and tablets, which are used mostly during the late evenings, emit blue light which is the wavelength most affecting clock mechanism. These factors may affect biological clock mechanism and in effect cause sleep disorders and enhance neurodegeneration. In this project we plan to use a Drosophila model of PD, which exhibits sleep disruptions similar to ones observed in humans, to explore the molecular mechanisms by which circadian light input can influence the etiology and progression of this neurodegenerative disease. We will focus on the effect of light and circadian entrainment of cell metabolism, with particular attention on mitochondrial dysfunction, one of the factors significantly contributing to PD pathogenesis. The aim of this project is to show that clock disruption due to light pollutions affects cell metabolism in the eye of older people, and in effect causes retina degeneration. In PD patients retina degeneration can causes chronic neuroinflammation, bloodbrain barrier leaking and in effect, accelerate PD development in the brain.

Candidate’s profile:

• master's degree in biology or neurobiology or biotechnology;
• experience in the biochemistry laboratory;
• experience in conducting scientific research in the field of neurobiology or biology, best documented by internships, participation in projects, publications, conference presentations, etc.;
• experience in working with Drosophila and a microscope laboratory is welcome;
• good written and oral communication skills in English (analysis of literature and preparation of scientific publications)
• motivation to conduct research, laboratory work and analysis of results, independence
• availability and readiness for international training
• good work time organization

Schedule of the competition:

1. Announcement on the School's website (the latest): 21.07.2023
2. Opening of the competition (means: opening admission in the Online Application System): 4.08.2023
3. Application submission deadline: (means: closing the Online Application System): 7.09.2023
4. Entrance exams:15-18.09.2023
5. Announcement of results: 21.09.2023
6. Enrolment: 25-26.09.2023
7. Expected start date of education: 01.10.2023

Detailed terms and procedures of admission - tailored to the PhD Programme in Biology study programme according to the current Recruitment rules for the 2023/2024 academic year.

Application documents for PhD study programme Phd Programme in Biology

Additional application documents and  resulting from the specificity of the research project:

• transcript of records (B.Sc. and M.Sc. studies)
• average of grades obtained by the candidate (calculated in accordance with the regulations of the university that issued the diploma)

Please upload your application documents into the Online Application System (irk.uj.edu.pl).

Documents required for entry within PhD Programme in Biology.

In particularly justified cases, at the request of the Co-ordinator of the Education Programme, on the basis of a written justification submitted by the Candidate to Doctoral School, the Director of the Doctoral School may waive the requirement to submit an apostille or legalize university diplomas or other documents.

In the event of exposure to harmful, noxious or hazardous factors, the applicant will, at the time of registration, be referred for a medical examination by an occupational medicine physician. The candidate shall be obliged to deliver, within the time limit set by the programme manager, a medical certificate confirming the absence of contraindications to take up education (applies only to some PhD study programmes).

Higher education diplomas awarded abroad should:

1. bear an apostille clause if the issuing country is covered by the Convention abolishing the requirement legalisation for foreign public documents, done at The Hague on 5 October 1961 (Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 112, item 938) or
2. be subjected to legalisation, in other cases.

Any document submitted in a language other than Polish or English must be accompanied by a certified translation into Polish or English.

IMPORTANT:

A person admitted to the doctoral school begin education and acquire doctoral student rights upon taking the oath.